Basketball Therapy
by Ammarine
Summary: Kelsi seeks Zeke out after practice to ask him how he deals with it. Again kinda fluffy. One shot, Ryelsi, Zekepay, friendship Zelsi. Implied Ryanella & Ryartha.


Basketball Therapy

_Thunk, thunk, swish. Thunk, thunk, thk-thunk, thunk swish_.

Kelsi walked through the empty hallway towards the gym. _Thunk, thunk, thnk, thnk, thk, thk-thk-thk_...School had long finished for the day but Kelsi had hidden in the rehearsal room, playing Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, whatever melody flowed through her fingers. Finally the calls, whistles and cheers died down, signalling the end of basketball practice for the Wildcats. It was now safe to enter the gym and seek out a particular Wildcat.

_Thunk... Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, swish._

"Nice shot, Zeke."

The tall boy turned at her voice and gave a smile. "Hey Kels, what brings you in here?"

"I, ah, wanted to ask you something. I hope you don't mind?"

"Fire away," he replied as he tossed the ball to Kelsi.

Kelsi looked at the ball in her hands bouncing it a couple of times before aiming for the hoop. The ball bounced off the rim and Zeke caught the rebound, bouncing it back to Kelsi for another shot.

"Try aiming for just above the rim of the hoop and take a deep breath just before you shoot," Zeke coached her. Kelsi tried again and the ball bounced off the backboard before falling through the hoop. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

She retrieved the ball and bounced it slowly as she thought. "How do you deal with it?"

"With what?" Zeke looked over at her with a confused expression on his face.

"With, well, with Sharpay, really. She's always going after Troy, acting like you don't exist. Do you ever feel, you know, invisible around her?" Kelsi felt her cheeks start to heat up as she spoke, knowing Zeke's inevitable reply.

"I don't know, I never really thought about it. But I guess there are moments we do share, and they more than make up for it. Who do you feel invisible around, Kelsi?"

"It doesn't matter. But Zeke, what interests you about Sharpay? I-I-I mean-"

"I know what you mean, Kels. Believe it or not, I get this question a fair bit," Zeke joked. "She's, well, she's beautiful, talented, amazing and despite it all, she can be really sweet." Kelsi's brows raised at this remark. "It's true, maybe you just don't know her like I do. But enough about me, what's with the 20 questions? And who makes you feel invisible? You never did tell me, you know."

Kelsi took another shot, the ball again hitting the backboard before going through the hoop. "I was just curious, that's all." Zeke shot Kelsi a look and she mumbled a few words.

"What did you say?"

"The other Evans," she repeated just loudly enough for Zeke to hear. By now she felt like her face was on fire.

Zeke chuckled, stopping when he noticed the glare Kelsi gave him. "I'm sorry, really, but why are you worried? Seriously?"

"What do you mean? He's always got Martha hanging around him! How can I not be worried?" Kelsi cried. "Not to mention how close he and Gabriella were over the summer, how can I compare to that? It's no wonder I feel invisible next to those two," she sighed. Zeke came over next to her, the basketball ignored temporarily, and placed an arm over her shoulders.

Zeke led Kelsi over to the bleachers. "Hold up, you're the one who got us all together, little miss. And, seriously, you have nothing to worry about."

"Gabriella?"

"They're good friends, don't forget she'd just started here when her and Troy were cast in you musical." Kelsi shrugged, and Zeke continued, "Ryan helped her to learn the dancing and they became good friends. Then with all the stuff between her and Troy over the summer, he was just being a good friend. Really."

"So what about Martha?" Kelsi asked him, seemingly content with the explanation.

"Well, now that everyone's paring up, they're the odd ones out- "

"Jason and I haven't 'paired up'!" Kelsi exclaimed

"Relax, Kels. I didn't mean it that way for you and Jason, but you two have grown up together and are best friends, and since Jason is too much of a chicken to talk to Martha, let alone ask her out, you guys pair up while Ryan and Martha are left together. And since they both like dancing, they've become pretty tight friends, believe it or not." Kelsi looked down at the floor as she thought about what Zeke said, until he bumped her shoulder with his.

"So, Ryan and Martha," she said slowly, "they're like you and me?"

"You got it, Playmaker," Zeke answered with a wink.


End file.
